When Bai Long was hit by the volleyball and taken to the hospital, she had been wearing her school uniform. The nurses had taken it off, washed it, and put it aside. So she wore it when she left the hospital today.
Instead of going home, she headed straight for school.
She arrived at Yicheng No. 1 High around ten o’clock, just after the second class had ended.
Bai Long first went to the teachers’ office to report her return from leave, then gathered the handouts and test papers that had been distributed over the past few days before heading back to the classroom.
Before she could even enter, as she reached the classroom door, Chen Lan—who was filling her water bottle at the back—spotted her immediately.
“Lao Bai?”
The red-haired girl froze for a moment at the sight of Bai Long. If she hadn’t reacted quickly, the hot water would have overflowed and scalded her hand.
“What’s with that reaction? It’s only been a day—have you forgotten me already?”
Bai Long raised an eyebrow, teasing casually.
“Hah, don’t be silly. I’m just a bit surprised. I thought you’d be discharged today and come back to school tomorrow, not show up so soon.”
Chen Lan screwed the cap back on her bottle and reached over to help carry some of Bai Long’s papers.
“How are you feeling? Did the doctor mention anything you need to watch out for after the check-up?”
Chen Lan’s mention of this reminded Bai Long of Liang Shen’s reminders, making her feel a bit conflicted inside.
It wasn’t because of any health issues—it was more about the whole marking situation.
Although marking had the greatest impact on Omegas, that didn’t mean it had no effect on Alphas at all.
Liang Shen knew this was her first time marking and that she lacked some basic knowledge, so before she left, he had specifically reminded her of a few things to watch out for.
After marking, an Alpha wouldn’t easily be affected by other Omegas’ pheromones.
But at the same time, without the Omega’s presence to soothe them, their emotions could become unstable.
Unlike Lu Yue’s dependency period, Bai Long might enter a phase of irritability for a while afterward.
She could become moody and unpredictable.
She didn’t feel much of it yet, but she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t have any unexpected reactions in the coming period.
Thinking about it, Bai Long frowned slightly. Since the marking had to be kept confidential, she couldn’t explain it in detail to Chen Lan.
So after weighing her words, she replied carefully.
“Hmm, my health should be fine now. They just advised me to try and control my emotions a bit, avoid getting angry if possible… ideally, reach a state of serene calmness.”
“Huh? What kind of nonsense is that? If I didn’t know you’d just gone to the hospital after getting hit by a ball, I’d think you were preparing to become a monk or something.”
“…”
Chen Lan had never heard anything like it and couldn’t help wanting to tease a bit more, but—
Bai Long had already returned to her seat and pulled out her phone, opening WeChat.
“Let’s not talk about that. By the way, how much did you cover for me while I was in the hospital? I’ll transfer it to you.”
“Transfer what? Keep what little you have for yourself. Don’t put on a brave face when you can’t afford it. We’ll talk about it when you actually have money.”
Chen Lan’s family was relatively well-off, and she usually didn’t worry about money. But this time, between Bai Long’s hospital stay and medical fees, it had cost nearly two thousand—to be honest, it did sting a bit.
If it were anyone else, she would have insisted on settling the account clearly, even with close friends. But she knew Bai Long’s situation all too well—someone who could only afford meat dishes in the cafeteria once every three days. She really couldn’t bear to make Bai Long’s already tough life even harder.
So she decided not to ask for the money back.
Hearing this, Bai Long felt a warm surge in her chest and smiled at the girl.
“I have money now.”
Without even asking exactly how much it was, she estimated on the higher side and transferred five thousand over.
“You don’t need to return the extra. Weren’t you saying you wanted to buy a game console but were a few thousand short? Use this money for that.”
Chen Lan was shocked—not just by Bai Long’s words, but by the clear “5000” displayed on her phone’s transfer record.
Receiving the money didn’t make her happy. Instead, she panicked.
Without waiting for Bai Long to react, she quickly grabbed her hand.
“Wait, Lao Bai—where did you get this much money? You didn’t… you didn’t secretly ‘go out to sea’ and become a gigolo behind my back, did you?!”
“…”
In a way, she was right. Bai Long had used herself as part of a transaction.
“W-what are you saying! Do I look like the kind of Alpha who’d sell her body?”
Bai Long felt a twinge of guilt, stumbling over her words slightly.
She avoided Chen Lan’s suspicious gaze, raising a hand to her mouth and pretending to cough.
“Ahem, anyway, I didn’t do anything shady in private. This money was just savings I had for emergencies. You’ve always taken care of me before, and this time I felt bad taking advantage of you. Just keep it.”
Although Chen Lan remained somewhat skeptical, she could tell Bai Long didn’t want to dwell on the topic any longer.
So she tapped “Confirm Receipt,” picked up her cup, and went back to her seat without another word.
Just as Chen Lan opened a game interface, ready to play a round, a boy from the front row walked over to Bai Long with a few notebooks.
It was none other than Shen Zhi, the class monitor of Class 3.
Shen Zhi was an Omega. Not only were his grades and looks outstanding, but his mental energy and physical stats were both A-rank, making him the dream Omega for many Alphas at Yicheng No. 1 High.
Since Bai Long was the academic officer, the two had plenty of opportunities to interact and shared a fairly good relationship.
“Bai Long, congratulations on your discharge. These are the notes I took over the past few days. If you don’t mind, please take them.”
Shen Zhi’s voice was bright and clear, still carrying the youthful vigor before his voice had fully changed.
His skin was fair, his features delicate and handsome. Even the bulky, unflattering sports uniform looked graceful on him, accentuating his tall, slender build like jade and orchid.
Hearing his voice, Bai Long looked up. Seeing the two thick notebooks he was offering, she was taken aback for a moment before accepting them with a soft “thank you.”
Unlike other Omegas, Shen Zhi was warm-hearted and without airs. When he smiled, he shone brilliantly, like a little sun.
“No need to thank me. You often help me with math problems, so this is just a small favor in return.”
The little sun curved his eyes into a smile, not waiting for Bai Long to react further.
Seeing she had accepted the notes, he happily bounced back to his seat.
Bai Long watched his retreating figure and, for some reason, felt a bit of his warmth rub off on her. The corners of her lips lifted slightly in response.
“Tsk, what’s with the silly grin?”
After Shen Zhi left, Chen Lan, who had been watching the whole scene, couldn’t resist kicking the leg of Bai Long’s desk.
“What’s wrong? Weren’t you fine just now? Did someone set off a bomb near you? Why so touchy?”
Bai Long frowned, turning to look at her, completely puzzled.
“Do you like him?”
“Of course. Who wouldn’t like a top-tier little Omega like that—slender waist, long legs, fair skin?”
“…So you were jealous just now?”
“Bullshit. I barely talk to him once a day. What’s there to be jealous about? But you—could you not be so careless? I’ve told you several times before: keep some distance from Shen Zhi. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t talk to him or accept anything from him.”
Chen Lan, who had almost been led off track by Bai Long, snapped back to her senses and shot an annoyed glare at her, crossing her arms.
“Have you already forgotten how just last month, after talking to him a bit longer in the hallway, you got cornered in an alley after school?”
Bai Long had a gentle temperament—unlike other Alphas who could be difficult to get along with—and was known for her good relationships both in class and across the grade.
She was also one of the few Alphas whom Omegas didn’t mind interacting with.
But being well-liked was one thing; apart from Chen Lan, she didn’t really have any close friends.
It wasn’t that she was unwilling to make friends, but her days were either spent studying or working part-time.
So aside from classmates asking her for help with schoolwork, even those who wanted to invite her out simply couldn’t find the time.
Honestly, having few friends wasn’t a big deal. The main issue was that Bai Long had good grades, good looks, and a pleasant personality—while she was popular among Omegas, she also attracted plenty of jealousy from other Alphas.
That time, it was only because Chen Lan happened to pass by on her way to the internet café, Bai Long might still be lying in a hospital bed right now.
Bai Long understood that Chen Lan was just concerned about her.
Her eyes flickered slightly as she glanced down at the notebook on the desk.
“Actually, even if I didn’t accept this notebook, they’d still find other reasons to cause trouble. But don’t worry—they won’t dare do anything reckless at school.”
“As for after school… I’ll try my best to avoid running into them.”
Chen Lan thought it over and realized Bai Long was right. Even if Bai Long kept her distance from Shen Zhi, her face alone was enough to provoke jealousy.
At this thought, she sighed, propped her chin in her hand, and looked at Bai Long.
Just as she was about to remark, “Beauty brings trouble,” she suddenly realized something.
“Wait, that was before. It’s different now—you’ve enhanced.”
Chen Lan’s eyes lit up. She leaned closer, blinking at Bai Long before asking mysteriously.
“Wanna head to the stairwell during the next free activity period? Let’s spar a bit. I want to see how much you’ve improved.”
Chen Lan was a B-rank in mental energy and A-rank in physical ability—decent stats overall.
Bai Long was actually a bit curious herself. Hearing the suggestion, she felt a stir of interest and nodded in agreement.
But when the long break arrived, Chen Lan was called into the teacher’s office for a “thought education” session after being caught playing on her phone in class.
She told Bai Long to head to the stairwell first and wait for a bit. Unexpectedly, Bai Long ended up not running into Chen Lan there—but instead bumped into one of the girls who had cornered her in the alley before.
Bai Long was standing on the upper steps and hadn’t gone down yet. The other girl had arrived first, having just pulled a cigarette out of a pack and was holding it between her fingers.
The girl felt a shadow fall over her from above, blocking some of the light.
When she glanced over and recognized Bai Long, she froze for a moment—then flashed a mocking smirk.
“Well, look who it is—the big genius from Class 3. Didn’t expect to run into you here. Seems we’re fated to meet.”
The girl before her had dyed yellow hair, wore heavy makeup, and sported a lip piercing. The lighting in the stairwell was dim, making it hard to see her original features.
Bai Long vaguely remembered her—she was from Class 4 next door.
“By the way, I heard from someone in Class 3 that you got knocked out by a volleyball in P.E. class the other day. So… did it smash your brains in, genius?”
Bai Long wasn’t oblivious to the sarcasm, but she didn’t really care—or more accurately, she couldn’t be bothered to care.
She glanced down at the other girl, her gaze indifferent, before finally settling on the cigarette in her hand.
“Smoking is prohibited on school grounds. You just got a major demerit for fighting a while back and were publicly criticized by the school. I suggest you don’t push your luck right now.”
Bai Long wasn’t like the original owner—someone easy to push around. If the other girl wanted to throw shade, Bai Long wouldn’t hold back either.
“Of course, if you want to get expelled, I’d be more than happy to see it. After all, someone like you is just wasting time and money by staying in school anyway.”
Watching the blonde girl’s face twist in anger at her words, Bai Long felt even more refreshed inside.
She curled her lips into a mocking smile, ignoring the other girl’s reaction, and turned to leave.
But just as she took a step, the person behind her quickly closed the distance and grabbed her collar.
Caught off guard, Bai Long was yanked violently backward.
After barely regaining her balance, the other girl slammed her hard against the wall, pinning her in place to prevent escape.
Though Bai Long’s stats had improved significantly after enhancement, most of the boost was in mental energy—her physical strength hadn’t increased much.
At least not yet.
The impact sent a sharp, burning pain across her back, forcing a muffled groan from her.
“Do you realize what you’re doing? What happened off-campus was one thing, but this is school. If you lay a hand on me here, you’ll be looking at expulsion.”
“There are no cameras here. If I beat you up, no one will know.”
The blonde girl narrowed her eyes. Seeing that Bai Long—apart from a brief frown at the initial pain—showed no sign of panic, her irritation only grew.
Unlike other Alphas who disliked Bai Long because she was close to Shen Zhi, her own animosity stemmed partly from that but mostly from pure disdain.
She looked down on Bai Long for being an Alpha yet so weak—with pheromones so faint they were almost negligible—someone even a Beta could push around easily.
In her eyes, Bai Long was an embarrassment to their entire gender.
Bai Long didn’t know what the other was thinking. Her expression turned cold as frost, her amber eyes unusually sharp and icy.
At the same time, a restless agitation churned inside her, an urge to lash out that grew more urgent by the moment.
“So you plan to make a move here?”
“Look at you, scared already?” the other girl sneered, mistaking Bai Long’s question for fear.
She pulled a lighter from her pocket, flicked it open, and brought the flame closer.
“But you’re in luck today—I’m feeling generous. I can give you a way out.”
The girl’s grin was malicious. She deliberately moved the flame near Bai Long’s eyes, coming dangerously close to her eyelashes several times.
“Either light my cigarette and let me burn a bit of your hair, or get beaten up and then scram. Your choice.”
The orange flame reflected in Bai Long’s eyes—bright, dazzling, like scattered stars.
Bai Long wasn’t the slightest bit afraid.
As she watched the flame flicker, a sudden thought crossed her mind:
Since Chen Lan couldn’t make it… maybe practicing with this one in front of me wouldn’t be a bad idea either.